Don't mess with Family
by Kelsbury
Summary: "Rose was upset, or hurt…And Hugo was mad." Hugo comforts Rose with some Rose/Scorpius thrown in for good measure.


**Disclaimer: **_I do not own_

**One-Shot**

**Brotherly Love**

The party was in full swing; the music blaring from the Wizard Wireless and people knocking back some of Ogden's Finest Firewhiskey, they were laughing, chatting, and celebrating the sixteenth birthday of one Lily Potter, who was dancing wildly in the middle of the make-shift dance-floor with some of her girlfriends, obviously teasing some of the boys who had their eyes on them.

Hugo rolled his eyes at the group of girls and sipped from his glass again, eyeing a pretty brunette who was lounging on the red couch, her dark green eyes alight with happiness as she tilted her head back over the back of the couch and her eyes caught his. For not the first time in his life Hugo regretted not being sorted into Gryffindor and he awkwardly pulled on his blue and bronze tie. She smiled at him and he wasn't sure if she was naturally that stunning or if it was the Firewhiskey buzzing through his veins – he just really, really wanted to talk to her and sit next to her and touch her and kiss her and –

- His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the portrait door banging open, loudly, and the fat lady yelling that it was impolite to hurl your selves through doors and everyone was graced with the appearance of his older, yet shorter then himself, sister, Rose. Her crazy, curly red hair was a mess about her head, her pale skin seemed to be even paler and her blue eyes were wide with both surprise and embarrassment – but that wasn't exactly what caught Hugo's attention, no, it was the tear tracks on her cheeks that gleamed silver in the firelight in the scones across the walls and the smeared mascara and eyeliner – Rose had been crying, Rose was upset, or hurt…

…And Hugo was mad. She darted quickly to the staircases to get to her dorm, hiding her face from onlookers views and she scurried up them, trying to hold in the sobs that Hugo knew she was holding in. He saw James Potter make a move as if to go up and see her, he was very protective of all his female cousins and his sister, but he and Rose were very, very close and he knew that James would do anything to protect her and, while Hugo appreciated it seeing as how he wasn't around Rose a lot of the time as they were in two separate houses, it was his job to help his sister – and that is exactly what he was going to do.

With a hand movement from Hugo, James stopped in his tracks and nodded at the taller boy, but he cracked his knuckles, signalling to Hugo that if James was needed, he'd definitely be there. Giving one last longing glance at the long haired brunette (who winked at him and almost made his heart melt) he followed Rose's steps and froze the staircase, running up them in record time till he reached the door that said 'sixth year's' and pushed it open, not bothering to knock.

He swept his gaze around the room (finding that it was horrifyingly messy) and saw that only one bed had it's hanging closed and that it seemed to be emitting sobs.

Hugo carefully, so as not to scare Rose and so as not to trip over and break his neck (seriously, who left a mug in the middle of the floor?) and approached the bed quietly. "Rosie?" he asked tentatively and he heard Rose sniff.

"Go away, Hugh," she mumbled and Hugo rolled his eyes, grabbing the drapes around her bed and yanking them open, seeing Rose curled up in her bright red quilt, hugging the teddy-bear that she'd had since forever that used to be their fathers. "Hugo, don't you listen?" She asked quietly, burrowing further into the material and hiding her face from view.

"What happened?" He asked, perching on the edge of the bed, knowing not to push Rose – she'd just curl up on herself – you had to coax her out with kind words and patience, which was something that Hugo took years to perfect.

There was a muffled sound coming from the head of the bed and Hugo could decipher it at all – he just stared blankly, having no clue what to say in answer to…whatever she said.

Hugo sighed and placed his hand on, what he imagined was the vicinity of her head, and tried to quash his anger, stop it down, but it was getting harder as the bed started to shake with her sobs. "Rosie, come on, sis, talk to me." he half-pleaded. Even though Rose was the older sibling, Hugo still saw it upon himself to look after her, and he brushed a hand through his shoulder length brown hair.

He wasn't stupid, he knew why Rose was upset – she very rarely cried and when she succumbed to tears it was usually because she was emotionally hurt and distraught and, aside from family feuds, only two people had managed to reduce Rose to a sobbing mass – Scorpius Malfoy and Aaron Tinn.

Scorpius Malfoy was, perhaps the only person that Rose could call a best friend and a total enemy – one minute, they were laughing and joking, the next they were trying to rip each others throats out…And Aaron was Rose's 'boyfriend'. Hugo uses this term very, very loosely because he kind of hated the smug Ravenclaw about as much as he hated spiders, and that was a lot of hate focused on the guy – if Hugo had to guess, he'd place his money on Aaron being the one to make Rose cry.

When he suggested this, hesitantly of course, he didn't want Rose to kick him in the shin if he was wrong, she stiffened and moaned in distress, and he knew instantly that he was right. "What's he done?" He asked, trying very hard to stop his vision seeing just red.

"He…He…Oh, Hugo, I caught him and Evelyn in a broom closet." She didn't have to say anymore and Hugo doubted that she could as she succumbed to the tears again as he put his arms around her and pulled her sister to him. He was going to murder him, Hugo thought and he set about thinking of plans to get him and the stupid bint, Evelyn (who, F.Y.I was supposed to be one of Rose's close friends) as he quietly hushed Rose, rocking her backwards and forewords in a way that only a little, taller brother could comfort an older sister and, eventually, Rose fell to sleep, her hair sticking to the salt traces of her tears on her face and her skin an unhealthy red. He very gently put her back in her bed and pulled the duvet over her form before standing and, once again going through the obstacle course that was Rose's room.

When he got back to the common room he was unsurprised to see that the party was still going, but that his cousins were on the couch and armchairs surrounding the fire, the brunette was long gone but Hugo didn't spare her another thought as he collapsed next to Roxanne and rubbed his face, staring into the fire.

"Well, Hugh? What's up with Rosie?" Hugo could sense that his over-bearing, over-protective cousins were itching to get to Rose, but she was asleep now and Hugo wanted her to remain so for the rest of the night. He told them this and they, reluctantly, settled down and listened to him as he told them what happened, as his plans for the people who had hurt his sister.

00000

Hugo sat down at the Ravenclaw table in the Great Hall, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he blearily reached for his coffee – it was too early, he thought. He felt a presence sit next to him and looked to see Scorpius Malfoy sat beside him, leaning one arm against the long, oak table, his hair ruffled and his green and silver striped tie askew.

"What's up with Rosie?" He asked, not moving his eyes from a fixed point at the other end of the Great Hall and Hugo followed his gaze to see Rose sat there, staring at the table, ignoring that chatter around her and James and Fred as they tried to get her to engage in conversation.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Hugo asked as he reached for the bacon and piled it onto his plate – he had definitely inherited his father's appetite.

Scorpius sighed and ran his hand through his hair again, tapping his fingers on the table impatiently. "I did. She just looked at me vacantly and went back to staring at the table. Albus just laughed like a maniac and I'm worried dude."

Hugo raised one eyebrow and took a swig of coffee. "You're always arguing."

"Doesn't mean I don't care about her, Hugo."

"What a strange and un-healthy friendship you have. Just ask her out already." Hugo said dismissively – he had a bet going with James that Scorpius and Rose would get together towards the end of the year and Hugo was determined to win.

As Scorpius spluttered his way through an answer, the doors to the Great Hall opened widely and Aaron Tinn hobbled in, wincing every time his left foot hit the floor; he had two black eyes, a broken nose and various cuts and bruises. Hugo, James, Albus and Fred had really laid into the lad last night and Madame Pomfrey had refused to heal his minor injuries because James lugged him to the Hospital wing afterwards saying that it was a prank that backfired and that Aaron "should learn from his actions." That was a pretty ingenious idea that Fred and Roxanne had, he had to admit.

Rose looked at him and caught his brown eyes, her own widening in slight horror before a scream caught both their attentions and everyone looked over to see Evelyn Ranch holding clumps of her thick dark hair in her hands, looking traumatised and horrified and Hugo struggled to hold back a snort of laughter as he saw Fred and Roxanne high five out of the corner of his eye – they must have put some potion or another in the drink.

"Oh. I think I get it." Scorpius sad before standing and moving swiftly to Rose, sitting astride the bench beside her and talking to her elaborately, drawing her attention away from Evelyn, who was shedding hair like dogs moult in the summer.

Rose looked over again, this time with a glint of happiness and Hugo was just happy that he and their family were the ones to put it there. Someone else sat beside him and he looked to see that it was James, who was laughing happily at Evelyn and Aaron as she rushed out of the hall, her hands over her head and Aaron followed after, hobbling away.

"Oh, just wait till he figures out that I swapped slaves with Madame Pomfrey. Nothing is getting rid of those black eyes."

_A/N: And they call it…Brotherly love! I love the idea of Hugo being protective, despite him being younger – it makes me chuckle and feel all warm inside in a not at all creepy way. _

_I hope you like this! Bit of Rose/Scorpius in here, because it is, after all, my favourite pairing ;D_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Kelly_

_xxx_


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